In the Puerta del Sol in Madrid “again the champagne and the grapes and the tar”, what would I say? Meccano. And again, the enormous deployment of police, emergency services and cleaning to prevent anything from tarnishing the moment. The security forces have already launched the device, made up of 1,250 agents from both bodies, to guarantee security at the bells of December 31. The Sol station will be closed and the square will be vacated at 9:00 p.m. to later allow controlled access through Mayor, Arenal, Alcalá streets and San Jerónimo street, with evacuation corridors in Carmen and Preciados streets. There will be searches at the entrances, as blunt, glass or pyrotechnic objects are prohibited. The capacity, like last year, is 15,000 people. Civil Protection will have a checkpoint of 50 personnel with five ambulances. These are the keys to enjoying the chimes live:
Police deployment
On the part of the National Police of Madrid, the device will be made up of about a thousand agents, whose objective is to ensure “complete tranquility” at the farewell in 2024, as explained this Monday at Puerta del Sol by the spokesperson for the Higher Headquarters. of the National Police of Madrid, Cristina Hernández. The agents come from many different units, from Citizen Security to specialists such as the Police Intervention Units (UIP, known as the riot police) and the Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR, ) to the underground units, mobile brigade, aerial means and canine guides.
Added to this operation is that of the Municipal Police, practically the same as last year and which will also have the support of drones, as detailed on December 26 by the vice mayor of Madrid, Inmaculada Sanz. 250 municipal police officers will be deployed, who will place “special emphasis on security, prohibiting entry with dangerous objects, controlling street vending and preventing theft.”
Schedules, access and controls
Puerta del Sol will be vacated at 9:00 p.m. and the Sol metro exit will be closed. After vacating the square, the agents will carry out police inspections and cleaning services will act to ensure that everything is ready for the celebration of the chimes.
Four entrances will be established to access the premises, on the streets Mayor, Arenal, Alcalá and on Carrera de San Jerónimo and two evacuation corridors, located on the streets del Carmen and Preciados. Those who try the trick of accessing through other streets, such as Preciados or Montera, will be directed towards those four points. Firstly, a count of all attendees will be carried out, so that the maximum capacity allowed, estimated at 15,000 people, is met. In order to access Sol, the National Police, in 50/50 collaboration with the Municipal Police, will establish a double security filter to prevent the entry of prohibited objects, such as blunt objects, glass or pyrotechnics.
Preventive measures: Samur and firefighters
Civil Protection will have 50 personnel, in addition to three basic life support ambulances and two advanced life support ambulances, along with vehicles for preventive interventions and logistical support. Likewise, the Madrid Fire Department will have a checkpoint in the area to act in case of emergency, and the Selur cleaning service will be prepared to intervene. An Operational Coordination Center (CECOR) will be set up, which will bring together all emergency services in a joint room to monitor the event in real time.
Safety Tips
The spokesperson for the National Police has advised that citizens who go to Puerta del Sol on New Year’s Eve should carry their ID in case it is required, have their purse or backpack closed and have their belongings monitored and, if possible, , placed in the front of the body. If you go with minors, the police urge their relatives to write in a visible place, such as their hand or on a bracelet, a contact telephone number in case the minor gets lost, in addition to explaining that, if they get lost, they should go to to a policeman
And before the bells…
The Community of Madrid will say goodbye to the year with a projection on the façade of the Real Casa de Correos, headquarters of the regional Government and which houses the famous clock, from the show Telefónica100-SOLby French DJ and producer Michael Canitrot. This is a montage, sponsored by Telefónica, that combines electronic music, heritage and digital art.
Between 10:30 p.m. and 11:40 p.m., the historic building will host this proposal, which requires a team of 50 people, five kilometers of wiring, 60 speakers, 82 lighting projectors and eight 30,000-lumen video projectors for its creation. With this show, the Real Casa de Correos joins other monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, or the Basilica del Pilar in Zaragoza, where Canitrot has presented this great concert.
What if the clock stops?
The watchmaker Jesús López Terradas told Europa Press and Efe this Monday the details of the maintenance of the clock of the Royal Post Office, a machine that is more than 150 years old that was almost destroyed by a shell in the Civil War and that, instead of an IV, has an IIII, without Nobody knows for sure why.
“One more year, everything is oiled, looked at, in short, ready,” said López Terradas, who has detailed the preparation process, which is actually carried out weekly and consists of “raising the weights, cleaning, greasing and looking at all the pieces in case we see any defects.” “If we had found it, we would have corrected it,” he added with complete confidence in the functioning of the watch. If not, “there is no plan B, and we would just have to run away,” laughs the watchmaker, who has refused to pass on this tradition as a family for 28 years to ensure that all of Spain can do it.
The clock, manufactured in 1866 in London although with the signature of a Leonese, José Fernández de Losada, debuts this New Year’s Eve illuminated sign to welcome the year 2025 with a new font and the word HAPPY for the first time written like this, in capital letters. The sign had not been changed since New Year’s Eve 2015, when one with LED technology began to be used, replacing the original neon one implemented in 1987.
